“Girlboss” is the Epitome of White Girl Privilege

In Girlboss, Sophia embodies the capitalist ethos to a T: steal, make your money and fuck everyone else who helped you along the way.

If you were looking for an inherently badass feminist show, Netflix’s Girlboss is definitely not it. The show is loosely based on the book written by Sophia Amoruso, who built fashion brand Nasty Gal after successfully launching her eBay store which sold carefully curated vintage finds.

The online retailer that most of us know, Nasty Gal, filed for bankruptcy November 2016 after Amoruso stepped down as CEO in 2015 following allegations that her company wasn’t as cool, chill or empowering as the brand marketed itself to be.

Girlboss definitely reflects the inner workings of a narcissistic, unreliable, thieving and selfish white woman who succeeds, thanks to her sheer will to prove those around her wrong. The lead character, Sophia Marlowe (Britt Robertson), is unlikeable in a way that isn’t even a “fuck you” to sexist standards that expect women to be nice and kind; she is just a piece of shit by any standard.

What was clear from the first episode is that Sophia doesn’t care about anyone but herself, and she uses people as props to either distract her or further her own goals. Right when I was thinking about what an asshole she was — after having stolen her boss’ sandwich and then picking a fight after being called out — Sophia says to herself, “why am I such an asshole?” Girl, I don’t know. I was wondering the same thing.

Girlboss is an excellent example of how white women get away with shit all the time. During the show, Sophia:

Steals a tuna sandwich and get defensive when she’s called out for it

Steals a carpet

Steals a book

Steals wine

Throws multiple temper tantrums when she doesn’t get what she wants

Storms out on her father when he doesn’t feel comfortable co-signing on a lease

Refuses to pay her best friend, who put in hours of free labor to help establish Nasty Gal

Gets angry at her boyfriend when he does his job

Berates the one black character in the show for being a business-school student

I couldn’t help but think that when black people or non-black people of color steal, the outcome isn’t a multi-million dollar company, book deals and awards.

Sophia embodies the capitalist ethos to a T: steal, make your money and fuck everyone else who helped you along the way. The only redeeming parts of the show were the people around her, but even they weren’t fleshed out enough beyond their supporting roles orbiting the black hole that is Sophia Marlowe.

I’m not going to lie. This was a tough watch and I only did it for the sake of writing this piece. My hope is that season one of Girlboss is the only season, because I don’t think I could watch another minute of it.

Lara Witt (she/they) is an award-winning feminist writer, editor and digital media consultant. Witt has written for Teen Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, WHYY, Girlboss, The New York Daily News, BUST, Rewire, and more. Witt writes primarily about feminism, racism, pop-culture, mental health and politics, and they are currently writing a book about feminism and self-care.
Witt's goal is to provide platforms for marginalized voices with a focus on having other Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) writers tell their own stories and explore their own narratives. As Managing Editor she also wants to offer accessible resources for those who wish to learn more about intersectional feminism and anti-fascist resistance because they believe that education and accessibility are key to an equitable and compassionate future.
Witt has spoken at local Philadelphia events, such as the March to End Rape Culture (2017) and curates a yearly series of events called The Electric Lady Series. These events highlight women and femmes of color in Philadelphia by exploring gender, rape culture, entrepreneurship, art, self-care, sex and culture.